The present invention refers to a plate heat exchanger device, including a plate package formed by a number of heat exchanger plates, which are arranged beside each other in such a manner that a plate interspace is formed between adjacent plates, which plate interspaces form first passages for a first medium and second passages for a second medium, that is arranged to cool the first medium, wherein the first passages and the second passages are arranged beside each other in the plate package in an alternating order, wherein the first passages are separated from the second passages, and wherein substantially each heat exchanger plate has at least two portholes forming a first inlet port channel and a second outlet port channel, which extend through the plate package to a first inlet and a first outlet, respectively, for the first medium to and from the first passages.
The invention also refers to a heat exchanger plate for a plate heat exchanger device, which heat exchanger plate includes a main extension plane, at least a first porthole, which has an opening area and is arranged to form a part of a first inlet port channel in the plate heat exchanger device for a first inlet for a first medium, and a second porthole, which has an opening area and is arranged to form a part of a first outlet port channel in the plate heat exchanger device for a first outlet for the first medium.
In such a plate heat exchanger device, where the first medium is cooled by the second medium, liquid will condense from the first medium which thus will include a gaseous phase and a liquid phase. It is known to separate these phases from each other in a liquid separator provided after the plate heat exchanger proper. Such devices, including a heat exchanger and a separate liquid separator, may be used in various applications, for instance for the dehumidification of pressurised air from compressors before the pressurised air is supplied to pneumatic tools or machines. Such devices with a separate heat exchanger and a separate liquid separator have the disadvantage that a significant number of components and connecting conduits are required. However, it has appeared to be difficult to provide one single unit for the heat exchanger part as well as the separation part to reasonable costs due to the high pressure such a unit has to withstand. In normal cases, the parts should withstand a pressure of 8 bars, but there are also pneumatic systems operating at 13 bars and even higher pressures.
SE-514 092 discloses a device including a number of parallel plates, which are connected to each other and arranged beside each other in such a way that they by means of portholes of the plates form a first passage, which is arranged to transport a gas, and at least a second passage, which is separated from but in heat transferring contact with the first channel and which is arranged to transport a cooling medium for cooling of the gas. A part of the first passage forms a separating part for separating liquid from the gas. The separating part is formed by a plurality of plate interspaces between some of said plates arranged to be passed on both sides by the flowing gaseous medium. In this case, the heat exchanger and the liquid separator are thus built together to one unit, but they still are parts separated from each other in the device.